Watch The CBS Fall 2019 TV Series Trailers: 'All Rise', 'The Unicorn,' 'FBI: Most Wanted', 'Evil' & More
Along with blockbuster summer, it's also upfronts season in the television world, and that means we're starting to glimpse of the new shows that will be coming to the small screen for the 2019-2020 season. We've already seen the new trailers for FOX, ABC and NBC shows, and now CBS has unveiled their primetime slate of new shows, and we have a first look at each of them with a round-up of trailers below.
The new CBS shows include Walton Goggins getting his own show called The Unicorn, Luke Cage star Mike Colter digging into supernatural mystery with Evil, Patricia Heaton returning to the sitcom world with Carol's Second Act, NCIS star Pauley Perrette trying her hand at comedy with Broke, and more. Watch the CBS 2019 TV Series trailers below.
Reaction: Focusing on the court side of the law, this new legal drama brings with it a little bit of comedy as Simone Missick gives people who normally get shortchanged by the justice system a chance to play out their case. The idea of a new judge mixing up the status quo and testing the system feels like a bit of a cliche, but this looks refreshing for a legal show like this.Synopsis: All Rise follows the chaotic, hopeful and sometimes absurd lives of its judges, prosecutors and public defenders, as they work with bailiffs, clerks and cops to get justice for the people of Los Angeles amidst a flawed legal process. Among them is newly appointed Judge Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick), a highly regarded and impressive deputy district attorney who doesn't intend to sit back on the bench in her new role, but instead leans in, immediately pushing the boundaries and challenging the expectations of what a judge can be.
Greg Spottiswood, Len Goldstein, and Emmy Award winner Michael M. Robin are Executive Producers for Warner Bros. Television. Robin directed the pilot from a script by Spottiswood.
Cast: Simone Missick as Lola Carmichael, Wilson Bethel as Mark Callan, Marg Helgenberger as Judith Benner, Jessica Camacho as Emily Lopez, J. Alex Brinson as Luke Watkins, Lindsay Mendez as Sara Pratt, and Ruthie Ann Miles as Sherri Kanski
Reaction: Michelle and Robert King have made a name for themselves in the drama of The Good Wife and The Good Fight. But now they're stepping into supernatural territory with Evil. At first it seems like they're sticking in their comfort zone by sticking with legal drama, but then it steers into darker territory when a psychologist goes from determining whether a criminal is sane to whether they're possessed by something else. I feel like this will become a supernatural procedural, but if it there turns out to be an overarching narrative that connects these supernatural scenarios, then this could be worth watching.Synopsis: Evil examines the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion. The new drama focuses on a skeptical female psychologist who joins a priest-in-training and a carpenter as they investigate the Church's backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions, and hauntings. Their job is to assess if there's a logical explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work.
Michelle King, Robert King, and Liz Glotzer are Executive Producers for CBS Television Studios. Robert King directed the pilot.
Cast: Katja Herbers as Kristen Bouchard, Mike Colter as David Acosta, Aasif Mandvi as Ben Shroff, Michael Emerson as Leland Townsend, Brooklyn Shuck as Lynn Bouchard, Skylar Gray as Lila Bouchard, Maddy Crocco as Lexis Bouchard, and Dalya Knapp as Laura Bouchard
Reaction: For those who have been missing Mike & Molly, Chuck Lorre delivers your usual sitcom but with a bit of a surprising diverse twist as a middle-aged sock businessman falls for a Nigerian nurse. This kind of thing feels forced coming from someone like Chuck Lorre, but at least it gets something different in front of the eyes of all the old people who still think CBS is the best place for comedy. I just wish it didn't have that typical multi-camera format with a live audience.Synopsis: Bob Hearts Abishola is a love story about a middle-aged compression sock businessman from Detroit who unexpectedly falls for his cardiac nurse, a Nigerian immigrant, while recovering from a heart attack and sets his sights on winning her over. Undaunted by Abishola's (Folake Olowofoyeku) lack of initial interest or the vast differences in their backgrounds, Bob (Billy Gardell) is determined to win Abishola's heart, in this new comedy that examines immigrant life in America.
Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, Al Higgins, and Beth McCarthy-Miller (pilot only) are Executive Producers for Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. McCarthy-Miller directed the pilot from a script by Lorre, Gorodetsky, Higgins, and Gina Yashere.
Cast: Billy Gardell as Bob, Folake Olowofoyeku as Abishola, Christine Ebersole as Dottie, Matt Jones as Douglas, Maribeth Monroe as Christine, Shola Adewusi as Auntie Olu, Barry Shabaka Henley as Uncle Tunde, and Travis Wolfe Jr. as Dele
Reaction: Walton Goggins is getting his own show? And it's a single-camera comedy? Normally, I'd say sign me up, but this looks like the same old formula of a father who is just now getting over the death of his wife and mother of his children but still needs some help keeping his life on track. It's not terrible, but it also isn't anything new either. Maybe network television is just exhausting me with recycled ideas.Synopsis: The Unicorn follows a tight-knit group of best friends and family who help Wade (Walton Goggins) embrace his ""new normal"" after the loss of his wife a year earlier. As a sometimes ill-equipped but always devoted single parent to his two adolescent daughters, he is taking the major step of dating again. To Wade's amazement, he's a hot commodity with women, and his friends explain that he's the perfect single guy–a "unicorn": employed, attractive, and with a proven track record of commitment. With his daughters and best friends rooting him on and hoping he'll find happiness again, Wade and his healing heart are ready to try life... and love... again.
Bill Martin, Mike Schiff, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Wendi Trilling, Peyton Reed, and John Hamburg (pilot only) are Executive Producers for CBS Television Studios. Hamburg directed the pilot from a script by Martin and Schiff.
Cast: Walton Goggins as Wade, Rob Corddry as Forrest, Michaela Watkins as Delia, Omar Benson Miller as Ben, Maya Lynne Robinson as Michelle, Ruby Jay as Grace, and Makenzie Moss as Natalie
Reaction: Speaking of recycled ideas, here's another story of a woman trying to get her groove back with a second wind in life. This time it's Patricia Heaton in the lead, looking for another successful sitcom after co-starring in Everybody Loves Raymond for years. While I do like the idea of women getting more lead roles in sitcoms like this, can't we get some more refreshing ideas? I know people like the comfort of shows taking place in the world of medicine, crime, and law, but c'mon. Plus, how have we not moved passed the over the top acting in multi-camera shows like this. It's awful! Stop!Synopsis: Carol's Second Act follows a 50-year-old woman, who embarks on a unique second act after raising her children, getting divorced, and retiring from teaching: pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor. At age 50, Carol is a medical intern and must sink or swim with peers who are half her age. It's her enthusiasm, perspective and, yes, even her age, that may be exactly what will make her second act a great success.
Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins; Patricia Heaton, Adam Griffin, David Hunt, and Rebecca Stay (Four Boys Entertainment); Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor (Kapital Entertainment); and Pamela Fryman (pilot only) are Executive Producers for CBS Television Studios. Fryman directed the pilot from a script by Halpern and Haskins.
Cast: Patricia Heaton as Carol Kenney, Kyle MacLachlan as Dr. Frost, Ito Aghayere as Dr. Maya Jacobs, Jean-Luc Bilodeau as Daniel, and Sabrina Jalees as Lexie. Lucas Neff guest stars as Caleb
Midseason
Reaction: Are things so serious in the world now that even the dramas need a punch up in the comedy department? Edie Falco stars in this series that sounds like it would be quite serious, but instead, has quite the comedic angle going for it. Even though the lead character feels like your cliche, no-nonsense newcomer who will make people nervous by shaking things up, the writing does seem sharp, and Edie Falco seems to be elevating the material. Could be worth a look.Synopsis: Tommy follows a former high-ranking NYPD officer who becomes the first female Chief of Police for Los Angeles. A true blue New Yorker, Abigail "Tommy" Thomas (Falco) uses her unflinching honesty and hardball tactics to keep social, political, and national security issues from hindering effective law enforcement in the Southland.
The series comes from Paul Attanasio, the creator of the acclaimed series Bull, House M.D. and Homicide: Life On The Street. Paul Attanasio, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, and Kate Dennis (pilot only) are Executive Producers for CBS Television Studios. Kate Dennis directed the pilot from a script by Attanasio.
Cast: Edie Falco as Abigail "Tommy" Thomas, Michael Chernus as Ken Rosey, Adelaide Clemens as Blake Sullivan, David Fierro as Buddy Boyardi, Russell G. Jones as Aurelius Looper, Olivia Lucy Phillip as Kate Jones, and Joseph Lyle Taylor as Treat Dudik
Reaction: Just as the sun rises everyday, Law & Order mastermind Dick Wolf is always cooking up some kind of new procedural for network television. This time he's using the FBI's Fugitive Task Force as inspiration for a whoe that tracks down some of the most dangerous criminals at large. If you've seen one show like this, you've seen them all, and this one doesn't look any different.Synopsis: FBI: Most Wanted focuses on the Fugitive Task Force, which relentlessly tracks and captures notorious criminals on the Bureau's Most Wanted list. Seasoned agent Jess LaCroix (Julian McMahon) oversees the highly skilled team, which functions as a mobile undercover unit that's always out in the field, pursuing those who are most desperate to elude justice.
Dick Wolf, René Balcer, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski are Executive Producers for Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television in association with CBS Television Studios. Fred Berner directed the pilot from a script by Balcer.
Cast: Julian McMahon as Jess LaCroix, Alana De La Garza as Isobel Castille, Keisha Castle-Hughes as Hana Gibson, Kellan Lutz as Crosby, Roxy Sternberg as Sheryll Barnes and Nathaniel Arcand as Clinton Skye
Reaction: Since CBS doesn't have 2 Broke Girls anymore, they're going with two broke sisters instead. While theidea of NCIS star Pauley Perrette doing comedy is intriguing and the presence of Natasha Leggero is comforting, this show looks like your typical CBS sitcom drivel. Oh, these two people are so different! How will they ever live together? Wacky scenarios! Hammy performances! How funny! *jumps off cliff*Synopsis: Broke follows Jackie, a single suburban mother who's shocked when her estranged sister, Elizabeth (Natasha Leggero), her sister's outrageously wealthy, big-hearted husband, Javier (Jaime Camil), and Javier's fiercely loyal assistant/driver/friend land on her doorstep in need of a place to live after the couple's money dries up. Though class differences may separate the women–in addition to the size of the house and the number of people living in–it will test the limits of family ties and the familiar bond of sisterhood might be the catalyst they need to restore their relationship.
Emmy Award winner Alex Herschlag (Will & Grace, Modern Family), Jennie Snyder Urman (Jane The Virgin), Joanna Klein, Ben Silverman, Jaime Camil, Guillermo Restrepo, Gonzalo Cilley, and Maria Lucia Hernandez are Executive Producers for CBS Television Studio/Sutton Street Prods./Propagate, with creative partners RCN TV and Resonant TV. Victor Gonzalez directed the pilot from a script by Herschlag
Cast: Jaime Camil as Javier, Pauley Perrette as Jackie, Natasha Leggero as Elizabeth, Izzy Diaz as Luis, and Antonio Corbo as Sammy.